Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has tasked stakeholders and participants in the Unified Data Architecture initiative to track performance and deliver public services with precision and speed.
Otti gave the charge on Thursday in Umuahia while declaring open a one-day Abia State Workshop on Strategic Digital Public Infrastructure and Delivery, organised for public service stakeholders.
Represented by the Deputy Governor, Ikechukwu Emetu, Otti stated, “Governance in the 21st century must be anchored on credible data and a reliable identity system.
“In an era where economies thrive on information, Abia State cannot afford to operate in silos.
“A unified data architecture will empower us to track performance, allocate resources more efficiently, improve internally generated revenue, strengthen social protection systems, and deliver public services with precision and speed.”
He added, “Without accurate data, planning becomes guesswork. Without a harmonised identity framework, service delivery becomes fragmented.”
The governor said the workshop marks a deliberate and strategic step towards correcting the gaps caused by lack of data and positioning Abia State for intelligent, evidence-based governance.
He urged participants to take the workshop seriously.
“Let me emphasise that this workshop must be practical, forward-looking, and solution-driven. The outcome must be a scalable, secure, and fit-for-purpose framework that supports every agency’s strategic objectives.
“The future of governance is digital, the future of planning is analytical, the future of accountability is data-based, and Abia State is ready to lead in this direction,” Otti emphasised.
According to the governor, the theme of the workshop, the “One Data, One Identity, One Government” initiative, is not merely a slogan but “a transformational blueprint. It seeks to integrate and harmonise data systems across Ministries, Departments and Agencies; eliminate duplication; enhance transparency; improve policy formulation; and ultimately ensure that government decisions are measurable, accountable and impactful,” he said.
He pointed out that the initiative aligns with his development philosophy, which emphasises governance that is structured, economically purposeful, and driven by measurable outcomes.
In his speech, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Emmanuel Meribeole, stressed the need to build an integrated data architecture for service delivery, noting, “Decisions can no longer rely on assumptions or fragmented evidence.
“For us to plan effectively, allocate resources appropriately, monitor our funds accurately, and deliver services efficiently, we must build an integrated data architecture anchored on a reliable identity system.”
Earlier, the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr Kingsley Anosike, said that having a single source of data would enable the Abia State government to perform much better than it is doing at present.
The workshop, which attracted commissioners, special advisers, special assistants, permanent secretaries, directors, and planning officers, among others, featured sector-by-sector presentations.